Phosphate Binder Linked With Reduced Mortality

In a meta-analysis, hemodialysis patients using lanthanum carbonate to lower phosphorus levels had a 55% decreased risk of death compared with those taking other binders.

A new meta-analysis from China associates lanthanum carbonate (LC) use with reduced risk for death compared with calcium carbonate, calcium acetate, and sevelamer.

Fang Wang, MD, of, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in China, and colleagues pooled data from 9 randomized controlled trials evaluating phosphate binder use in 2813 hemodialysis patients. Users of LC, a non-aluminum, non-calcium binder, had a significant 55% decreased risk of all-cause mortality compared with the other drugs. Cardiovascular events did not differ among groups.

These conclusions need to be confirmed by future research. The investigators acknowledged that included studies had small sample sizes and variable quality. The team also could not compare LC with other phosphate binders individually.